File path modification based management

ABSTRACT

A method for synchronizing file paths associated with computer files based on file path modifications is provided. The method may include detecting a file path modification to a referenced file path associated with a computer file. The method may also include identifying a type of the file path modification. The method may further include identifying a generated file path based on the type of the file path modification. Additionally, the method may include synchronizing the referenced file path to the generated file path. The method may also include modifying the file path information associated with the computer file. The method may further include generating association information in a file properties window associated with the referenced file path and the at least one generated file path. The method may also include validating and extracting the file path information associated with the computer file for use by at least one application.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, andmore specifically, to file synchronization.

Computer files generally include referenced file paths that indicatewhere computer files are located. Specifically, the referenced filepaths include the names of the computer files and the directories andfolders which specify the location of the computer files in a computerfile system. Furthermore, computer file systems may typically include ahierarchy of directories and folders that organizes the computer filesto simplify storing and retrieving file content. For example, a computerfile may have a referenced file path such as,C:\samplepath\abc\user\local\comp.exe, whereby the file name iscomp.exe, and the directories and folders that indicate the filelocation is C:\samplepath\abc\user\local. As such, computer files may belocated using the file path information. Furthermore, other applicationsand programs may refer to the computer file using the file pathinformation.

SUMMARY

A method for synchronizing file paths associated with computer filesbased on at least one file path modification is provided. The method mayinclude detecting the at least one file path modification to areferenced file path associated with a computer file. The method mayalso include identifying a type of the at least one file pathmodification to the referenced file path associated with the computerfile. The method may further include identifying at least one generatedfile path based on the identified type of the at least one file pathmodification. Additionally, the method may include synchronizing thereferenced file path associated with the computer file to the at leastone generated file path associated with the computer file. The methodmay also include modifying a plurality of file path informationassociated with the computer file based on the synchronized referencedfile path and the at least one generated file path associated with thecomputer file. The method may further include generating a plurality ofassociation information in a file properties window associated with thereferenced file path and the at least one generated file path. Themethod may also include validating and extracting the file pathinformation associated with the computer file for use by at least oneapplication.

A computer system for synchronizing file paths associated with computerfiles based on at least one file path modification is provided. Thecomputer system may include one or more processors, one or morecomputer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangiblestorage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one of theone or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one ormore processors via at least one of the one or more memories, wherebythe computer system is capable of performing a method. The method mayinclude detecting the at least one file path modification to areferenced file path associated with a computer file. The method mayalso include identifying a type of the at least one file pathmodification to the referenced file path associated with the computerfile. The method may further include identifying at least one generatedfile path based on the identified type of the at least one file pathmodification. Additionally, the method may include synchronizing thereferenced file path associated with the computer file to the at leastone generated file path associated with the computer file. The methodmay also include modifying a plurality of file path informationassociated with the computer file based on the synchronized referencedfile path and the at least one generated file path associated with thecomputer file. The method may further include generating a plurality ofassociation information in a file properties window associated with thereferenced file path and the at least one generated file path. Themethod may also include validating and extracting the file pathinformation associated with the computer file for use by at least oneapplication.

A computer program product for synchronizing file paths associated withcomputer files based on at least one file path modification is provided.The computer program product may include one or more computer-readablestorage devices and program instructions stored on at least one of theone or more tangible storage devices, the program instructionsexecutable by a processor. The computer program product may includeprogram instructions to detect the at least one file path modificationto a referenced file path associated with a computer file. The computerprogram product may also include program instructions to identify a typeof the at least one file path modification to the referenced file pathassociated with the computer file. The computer program product mayfurther include program instructions to identify at least one generatedfile path based on the identified type of the at least one file pathmodification. Additionally, the computer program product may includeprogram instructions to synchronize the referenced file path associatedwith the computer file to the at least one generated file pathassociated with the computer file. The computer program product may alsoinclude program instructions to modify a plurality of file pathinformation associated with the computer file based on the synchronizedreferenced file path and the at least one generated file path associatedwith the computer file. The computer program product may further includeprogram instructions to generate a plurality of association informationin a file properties window associated with the referenced file path andthe at least one generated file path. The computer program product mayalso include program instructions to validate and extract the file pathinformation associated with the computer file for use by at least oneapplication.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof illustrative embodiments thereof, which is to be read in connectionwith the accompanying drawings. The various features of the drawings arenot to scale as the illustrations are for clarity in facilitating oneskilled in the art in understanding the invention in conjunction withthe detailed description. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a networked computer environment according to oneembodiment;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrative of examples of file path changesaccording to one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an example of a dialogue box for synchronizing file pathsassociated with computer files according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an example of file association data associated with a computerfile according to one embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an example of a file properties window associated with acomputer file path according to one embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrative of one embodiment of a programfor synchronizing file paths associated with computer files based onfile path modifications according to one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an operational flowchart illustrating the steps carried out bya program for synchronizing file paths associated with computer filesbased on file path modifications according to one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the system architecture of a program forsynchronizing file paths associated with computer files based on filepath modifications according to one embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an illustrative cloud computing environmentincluding the computer system depicted in FIG. 1, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of functional layers of the illustrativecloud computing environment of FIG. 9, in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosedherein; however, it can be understood that the disclosed embodiments aremerely illustrative of the claimed structures and methods that may beembodied in various forms. This invention may, however, be embodied inmany different forms and should not be construed as limited to theexemplary embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these exemplaryembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the scope of this invention to thoseskilled in the art. In the description, details of well-known featuresand techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresented embodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to the field ofcomputing, and more particularly, to file path synchronization. Thefollowing described exemplary embodiments provide a system, method andprogram product for detecting file path changes associated with computerfiles, and synchronizing the file paths to the computer files.Therefore, the present embodiment has the capacity to improve thetechnical field of computer file path management by synchronizing thereferenced file paths and at least one target file path to computerfiles. Specifically, the present embodiment may maintain the validity ofreferenced file paths for computer files despite changing the referencedfile paths associated with the computer files.

As previously described with respect to file synchronization, computerfiles typically include referenced file paths to locate the computerfiles in a file system. Specifically, a computer file may be created,and a file path associated with the computer file may be generated.Therefore, applications and programs running on a computer may referencethe computer file using the file path information. For example, aspreviously described, a computer file may have a file path such as,C:\samplepath\abc\user\local\comp.exe. Thus, a user may locate thecomputer file using the directories and folders in the file path.However, the file paths associated with the computer files may changedue to actions such as renaming the computer files, moving the computerfiles to other directories and folders, and deleting the computer files.Therefore, based on the change to the computer files, the originalreferenced file paths for the computer files may be invalid. Forexample, a computer file may have the file pathC:\samplepath\abc\user\local\comp.exe, however, the computer file may bemoved from folder “local” to folder “global”. Thus, the file path forthe computer file may be changed toC:\samplepath\abc\user\global\comp.exe. Therefore, when referencing thecomputer file using the original reference file path,C:\samplepath\abc\user\local\comp.exe, an error message may appearindicating that the file path is invalid because the file pathassociated with the computer file has been changed. As such, it may beadvantageous, among other things, to provide a system, method andprogram product for detecting file path changes associated with computerfiles, and synchronizing the file path to the computer files.

According to at least one embodiment of the present invention,modifications to computer files and the referenced file paths associatedwith the computer files may be detected. Based on the modifications, atleast one target file path associated with the computer file may begenerated. Then, according to one implementation, the referenced filepath and the at least one target file path associated with the computerfile may be synchronized. Alternatively, a user may be enabled tosynchronize or not to synchronizing the referenced file paths and the atleast one target file path associated with the computer files. Then,based on the synchronization, the file path information associated withthe computer file may be modified. Additionally, an association tab maybe generated in the file properties folder of the computer file, wherebyusers may be further enabled to view and edit the file paths associatedwith the computer files. Thereafter, the file path informationassociated with the computer file may be validated and extracted for useby applications and programs.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like,and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

The following described exemplary embodiments provide a system, methodand program product for detecting file path modifications associatedwith computer files and synchronizing the file paths associated with thecomputer files based on the modifications.

According to at least one implementation, at least one modification to acomputer file and the referenced file path associated with the computerfile may be detected. Then, the type of modification applied to thecomputer file may be identified. Next, based on the identifiedmodification, at least one generated target file path associated withthe computer file may be identified. Thereafter, the at least onegenerated target file path may be synchronized with the referenced filepath associated with the computer file. Next, based on thesynchronization, the file path information associated with the computerfile may be modified. Then, an association tab may be generated in thefile properties of the synchronized file paths associated with thecomputer file. Thereafter, the file path information associated with thecomputer file may be validated and extracted for use by applications andprograms.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary networked computer environment 100in accordance with one embodiment is depicted. The networked computerenvironment 100 may include a computer 102 with a processor 104 and adata storage device 106 that is enabled to run a file path managementprogram 108A and a software program 114. The software program 114 may bean application program such as an internet browser and an email program.The file path management program 108A may communicate with the softwareprogram 114. The networked computer environment 100 may also include aserver 112 that is enabled to run a file path management program 108Band a communication network 110. The networked computer environment 100may include a plurality of computers 102 and servers 112, only one ofwhich is shown for illustrative brevity.

According to at least one implementation, the present embodiment mayalso include a database 116, which may be running on server 112. Thecommunication network may include various types of communicationnetworks, such as a wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), atelecommunication network, a wireless network, a public switched networkand/or a satellite network. It may be appreciated that FIG.1 providesonly an illustration of one implementation and does not imply anylimitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironments may be made based on design and implementationrequirements.

The client computer 102 may communicate with server computer 112 via thecommunications network 110. The communications network 110 may includeconnections, such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber opticcables. As will be discussed with reference to FIG. 8, server computer112 may include internal components 8000 a and external components 9000a, respectively and client computer 102 may include internal components8000 b and external components 9000 b, respectively. Server computer 112may also operate in a cloud computing service model, such as Software asa Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), or Infrastructure as aService (IaaS). Server 112 may also be located in a cloud computingdeployment model, such as a private cloud, community cloud, publiccloud, or hybrid cloud. Client computer 102 may be, for example, amobile device, a telephone, a personal digital assistant, a netbook, alaptop computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, or any type ofcomputing device capable of running a program and accessing a network.According to various implementations of the present embodiment, the filepath management program 108A, 108B may interact with a database 116 thatmay be embedded in various storage devices, such as, but not limited toa mobile device 102, a networked server 112, or a cloud storage service.

According to the present embodiment, a program, such as a file pathmanagement program 108A and 108B may run on the client computer 102 oron the server computer 112 via a communications network 110. The filepath management program 108A, 108B may synchronize the computer filepaths associated with computer files. Specifically, a user using acomputer, such as computer 102, may run a file path management program108A, 108B, that interacts with a database 116, to detect file pathchanges associated with computer files, synchronize the file pathchanges with the referenced file paths associated with the computerfiles, and therefore, maintain valid file paths for the computer filesdespite the file path changes.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an example of file path changes 200 inaccordance with one embodiment is depicted. As previously described inFIG. 1, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detectfile path changes made to the referenced file paths associated withcomputer files. Specifically, the file path management program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may detect file paths generated based on file path changessuch as renaming the computer files, moving the computer files to atleast one folder, and deleting the computer files. For example, filesystems 202 a, 204 a, 206 a may include the computer file “config.ini”,whereby the file path, /var/etc/config.ini, may be the referenced filepath for “config.ini”. Therefore, with respect to the file system 202 a,the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect therenaming of the computer file from “config.ini” to “Myconfig.ini”. Thus,in 202 b, the file path associated with the computer file may be changedfrom /var/etc/config.ini to the target file path /var/etc/Myconfig.ini.Furthermore, with respect to the file system 204 a, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect moving the computerfile from the folder “etc” to the folder “B”. Therefore, in 204 b, thefile path associated with the computer file may be changed from/var/etc/config.ini to the target file path /var/B/config.ini.Additionally, in the file system 206 a, the file path management program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect the deletion of the computer file,whereby the source file path, /var/etc/config.ini, may no longer existas depicted in 206 b.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an example 300 of a dialogue box 304 inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention is depicted. Aspreviously described in FIG. 2, the file path management program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may detect file path changes such as renaming, moving, anddeleting computer files. As such, the file path management program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may present users with a dialogue box 304 to apply or notto apply the file path changes to the computer files, and to synchronizeor not to synchronize the referenced file paths with the target filepaths based on the file path changes. For example, as depicted in 302,the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect moving acomputer file, such as “sourcefile.doc”, from folder “source” to folder“target”. As such, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may present a user with a dialogue box 304 to select applying the filepath modification and synchronizing the referenced file path,/u/source/sourcefile.doc, with the target file path,/u/target/sourcefile.doc, in 304 a. Also, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may enable a use to cancel the file pathmodification in 304 b, or apply the file path modification and notsynchronize the referenced file path with the target file path in 304c.Furthermore, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayautomatically synchronize or not synchronize additional file paths basedon the user selecting the “remember my choice” box 306.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an example 400 of file association data 402associated with a computer file 404 in accordance with one embodiment isdepicted. As previously described, the referenced file paths and thetarget file paths associated with computer files may be synchronized. Assuch, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may identifythe referenced file paths and the target file paths 406 a, 408 a, 410 a,and display the status of the referenced file paths and the target filepaths 406 a, 408 a, 410 a associated with a computer file 404 in thefile association data 402. Specifically, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may display the file status of thereferenced file paths and the target file paths using status indicators406 b, 408 b, 410 b to indicate whether the referenced file paths andthe target file paths 406 a, 408 a, 410 a associated with the computerfile 404 are valid and synchronized with the computer file 404. Forexample, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayidentify the referenced file paths and/or the target file paths 406 a,408 a, 410 a, that are associated with the computer file 404.Additionally, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayindicate that the referenced file path or target file path 406 a isvalid and synchronized with the computer file 404 based on the filestatus indicator 406 b, that the referenced file path or target filepath 408 a is not valid and not synchronized with the computer file 404based on the file status indicator 408 b, and that the referenced filepath or target file path 410 a is valid but not synchronized with thecomputer file 404 based on the file status indicator 410 b.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an example of a file properties window 500associated with a computer file path 504 in accordance with oneembodiment is depicted. As previously described in FIG. 2, thereferenced file paths of computer files may be synchronized with thetarget file paths of the computer files. Additionally, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may include an association tab502 in a file properties window 500 associated with the referenced filepaths and the target file paths 504. Specifically, based on a useraction to open a file properties window 500 associated with a referencedfile path and/or a target file path 504, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may display the associated referenced filepaths and target file paths 506 in the association tab 502 of the fileproperties window 500 and further enable users to synchronize or not tosynchronize the referenced file paths and target file paths 506. Forexample, a user action may include right-clicking on a referenced filepath 504, such as /sample/sampledir/source.file, to open the fileproperties window 500 associated with the referenced file path 504.Then, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may includethe association tab 502 in the file properties window 500 and displaythe target file paths 506, such as a/b/c/config.file ande/d/f/config2.file, that are associated with the referenced file path504. Furthermore, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1)may enable users to synchronize the target file paths 506 with thereferenced file path 504, or not to synchronize the target file paths506 with the referenced file path 504, using the dynamic synchronizeoption 508.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a block diagram 600 of the system architectureof a program for synchronizing file paths associated with computer filesis depicted. As previously described in FIG. 2, file change events 602may be applied to a computer file, such as renaming, moving, anddeleting the computer file. Therefore, an event dispatcher 604 maydetect at least one file change event 602 to a computer file. Then, afile filter 606 may identify the type of file change event 602 thatoccurs, more specifically, whether a computer file is created, edited,renamed, moved, and/or deleted. Next, an operation identifier 608 mayidentify at least one computer file path that is generated based on theidentified file change event 602. Furthermore, a path pair finder 610may identify and synchronize the computer file paths associated with thecomputer file. Then, based on the synchronization by the path pairfinder 610, a file content modifier 612 may modify the computer filepath information associated with the computer file. Next, an associationtab may be generated in the file properties 614 of the computer file,whereby users may be further enabled to synchronize or not tosynchronize the computer file paths. Furthermore, a path pair marker 616may validate the file path information based on the synchronization ofthe computer files. Then, a file path validator 618 may validate thecomputer file path information. Next, a file path extractor 620 mayextract and display the validated computer file path information.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an operational flowchart 700 illustrating thesteps carried out by a program for synchronizing file paths associatedwith computer files is depicted. At 702, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect at least one file change event602 (FIG. 6). As previously described in FIG. 6, a file change event 602(FIG. 6) may be applied to a computer file, and the file change event602 (FIG. 6) may be detected by an event dispatcher 604 (FIG. 6). Forexample, and as previously described in FIG. 2, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may use the event dispatcher 604 (FIG. 6) todetect that a computer file such as “config.ini” may be renamed 202b(FIG. 2), moved 204 b (FIG. 2), and/or deleted 206 b (FIG. 2).

Then, at 704, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayidentify the type of file change event 602 (FIG. 6). As previouslydescribed at step 702, the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may detect at least one file change event 602 (FIG. 6) usingthe event dispatcher 604 (FIG. 6). Additionally, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may identify the type of filechange event 602 (FIG. 6) using the file filter 606 (FIG.6). Therefore,according to one implementation, the file path management program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may detect that at least one file change event 602 (FIG.6) may be applied to a computer file, such as creating, editing,renaming, moving, and deleting the computer file. Then, using the filefilter 606 (FIG. 6), the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may determine that the at least one file change event 602 (FIG.6) that occurs is the moving of a computer file from one folder to adifferent folder, as previously described in 204a, 204b (FIG. 2).

Next, at 706, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayidentify at least one generated file path. Specifically, using theoperation identifier 608 (FIG. 6), the file path management program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may identify at least one computer file path that isgenerated based on the detected and identified file change event 602(FIG. 6). Therefore, as previously described in FIG. 2, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect and identify that acomputer file, such as “config.ini”, with a referenced file path/var/etc/config.ini, is moved from folder “etc” to folder “B”. Thus, forexample, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayidentify the generated target file path such as /var/B/config.ini, basedon the move to folder “B”.

Then, at 708, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) maysynchronize the computer file paths associated with the computer file.Specifically, using the path pair finder 610 (FIG. 6), the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may identify and synchronize thereferenced file paths and target file paths associated with the computerfile. For example, as previously described in step 706, a computer file,such as “config.ini”, may have a referenced file path, such as/var/etc/config.ini, that is used by other applications and programs torefer to the computer file. Furthermore, the computer file may be movedfrom folder “etc” to folder “B”. As such, based on the move from folder“etc” to folder “B”, the referenced file path may be an invalid locationfor the computer file. However, using the path pair finder 610 (FIG. 6),the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may identify thereferenced file path, /var/etc/config.ini, and the generated andidentified target file path, /var/B/config.ini, as computer file pathsassociated with the computer file “config.ini”, and therefore,synchronize the referenced file path with the generated target file pathassociated with the computer file.

Alternatively, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) maysynchronize the computer file paths associated with the computer file inresponse to a user action. For example, the file path management program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect a file change event 602 (FIG. 6), such asmoving a computer file from one folder to a different folder. Therefore,as previously described in FIG. 3, the file path management program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may present a user with a dialogue box 304 (FIG. 3)to select applying the file path change 602 (FIG. 6) and synchronizingthe referenced file path with the target file paths in 304a (FIG. 3),canceling the file path change 602 (FIG. 6) in 304 b (FIG. 3), orapplying the file path change 602 (FIG. 6) and not synchronizing thereferenced file path with the target file paths in 304 c (FIG. 3). Basedon the user selection, the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may synchronize or not synchronize the referenced file pathsand target file paths.

Next, at 710 the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) maymodify the file path information associated with the computer file. Aspreviously described in FIG. 6, based on the synchronization by the pathpair finder 610 (FIG. 6), a file content modifier 612 (FIG. 6) maymodify/update the computer file path information associated with thecomputer file. Specifically, the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may identify the status of the synchronized, or notsynchronized, referenced file paths and target file paths associatedwith a computer file. For example, as previously described in FIG. 4,the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may identify thereferenced file paths and the target file paths 406 a, 408 a, 410 a(FIG. 4) associated with a computer file 404 (FIG. 4). Furthermore, thefile path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may modify/update thefile path information 402 (FIG. 4) of a computer file 404 (FIG. 4) toreflect the synchronization status of the referenced file paths andtarget file paths associated with the computer file 404 (FIG. 4). Forexample, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) maydisplay the file status of the referenced file paths and the target filepaths using status indicators 406 b, 408 b, 410 b (FIG. 4) to indicatewhether the referenced file paths and the target file paths 406 a, 408a, 410 a (FIG. 4) associated with the computer file 404 (FIG. 4) arevalid and synchronized with the computer file 404 (FIG. 4), invalid andnot synchronized with the computer file 404 (FIG. 4), and valid but notsynchronized with the computer file 404 (FIG. 4).

Then, at 712 the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) maygenerate an association tab 502 (FIG. 5) in the file properties of thecomputer file paths. As previously described in FIG. 5, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may include an association tab502 (FIG. 5) in a file properties window 500 (FIG. 5) of a computer filepath associated with a computer file to display the association data forthe referenced file paths and the target file paths 504 (FIG. 5). Forexample, a user may right-click on a referenced file path 504 (FIG. 5),such as /sample/sampledir/source.file, to open the file propertieswindow 500 (FIG. 5) associated with the referenced file path 504 (FIG.5) of a computer file. Then, the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may include the association tab 502 (FIG. 5) in the fileproperties window 500 (FIG. 5) and display the target file paths 506(FIG. 5), such as a/b/c/config.file and e/d/f/config2.file, that aresynchronized with the referenced file path 504 (FIG. 5) and associatedwith the computer file. Also, as previously described in FIG. 5, thefile path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may further enableusers to synchronize the target file paths 506 (FIG. 5) with thereferenced file path 504 (FIG. 5), or not to synchronize the target filepaths 506 (FIG. 5) with the referenced file path 504 (FIG. 5), using thedynamic synchronize option 508 (FIG. 5).

Next, at 714, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayvalidate the referenced file path information and the target file pathinformation. Specifically, the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may use the path pair marker 616 (FIG. 6) to validate that avalid synchronized path exist between the referenced file paths and thetarget file paths. Furthermore, the file path management program 108A,108B (FIG. 1) may use the file path validator 618 (FIG. 6) to validatethat the referenced file paths and the target file paths are valid. Assuch, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may use thefile path extractor 620 (FIG. 6) to extract the referenced file pathinformation for use by other applications and programs.

For example, as previously described in step 712, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may enable users to synchronizethe target file path 506 (FIG. 5), such as a/b/c/config.file, with thereferenced file path 504 (FIG. 5), such as/sample/sampledir/source.file, using the dynamic synchronize option 508(FIG. 5). Therefore, based on the user selection, the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may use the path pair marker 616(FIG. 6) to validate that a valid synchronized path exists between thereferenced file path 504 (FIG. 5) and the target file path 506 (FIG. 5).Furthermore, the file path management program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) mayuse the file path validator 618 (FIG. 6) to validate that the referencedfile path 504 (FIG. 5) and the target file path 506 (FIG. 5) are validfile paths. As such, based on the validations by the path pair marker616 (FIG. 6) and the file path validator 618 (FIG. 6), the file pathmanagement program 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may use the file path extractor620 (FIG. 6) to extract the referenced file path information for use byapplications and programs that use the file path information to refer tothe computer file.

It may be appreciated that FIGS. 2-7 provide only an illustration of oneimplementation and does not imply any limitations with regard to howdifferent embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to thedepicted environments may be made based on design and implementationrequirements. For example, the file path management program 108A, 108B(FIG. 1) may identify a plurality of target file paths based on aplurality of detected file path changes 602 (FIG. 6). For example, aspreviously described in FIG. 2, a computer file, such as “config.ini”,may be referenced by applications and programs using the referenced filepath, /var/etc/config.ini. Furthermore, the file path management program108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect that the computer file may be renamed to“Myconfig.ini”, as in file system 202a (FIG. 2). As such, the referencedfile path may be change to the target file path, such as/var/etc/Myconfig.ini, and the target file path may be referenced byapplications and programs. Additionally, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may detect that the computer file“Myconfig.ini” is then moved to folder B. Therefore, the target file maybe changed to /var/B/Myconfig.ini. As such, the file path managementprogram 108A, 108B (FIG. 1) may synchronize the file paths/var/etc/config.ini, /var/etc/Myconfig.ini, and /var/B/Myconfig.ini.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram 800 of internal and external components ofcomputers depicted in FIG. 1 in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment of the present invention. It should be appreciated that FIG.8 provides only an illustration of one implementation and does not implyany limitations with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depictedenvironments may be made based on design and implementationrequirements.

Data processing system 8000, 9000 is representative of any electronicdevice capable of executing machine-readable program instructions. Dataprocessing system 8000, 9000 may be representative of a smart phone, acomputer system, PDA, or other electronic devices. Examples of computingsystems, environments, and/or configurations that may represented bydata processing system 8000, 9000 include, but are not limited to,personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thickclients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor-based systems, network PCs, minicomputer systems, anddistributed cloud computing environments that include any of the abovesystems or devices.

User client computer 102 (FIG. 1), and network server 112 (FIG. 1)include respective sets of internal components 8000 a, b and externalcomponents 9000 a, b illustrated in FIG. 8. Each of the sets of internalcomponents 8000 a, b includes one or more processors 820, one or morecomputer-readable RAMs 822 and one or more computer-readable ROMs 824 onone or more buses 826, and one or more operating systems 828 and one ormore computer-readable tangible storage devices 830. The one or moreoperating systems 828, the software program 114 (FIG. 1), the file pathmanagement program 108A (FIG. 1) in client computer 102 (FIG. 1), andthe file path management program 108B (FIG. 1) in network servercomputer 112 (FIG. 1) are stored on one or more of the respectivecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 830 for execution by one ormore of the respective processors 820 via one or more of the respectiveRAMs 822 (which typically include cache memory). In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 8, each of the computer-readable tangible storagedevices 830 is a magnetic disk storage device of an internal hard drive.Alternatively, each of the computer-readable tangible storage devices830 is a semiconductor storage device such as ROM 824, EPROM, flashmemory or any other computer-readable tangible storage device that canstore a computer program and digital information.

Each set of internal components 8000 a, b, also includes a R/W drive orinterface 832 to read from and write to one or more portablecomputer-readable tangible storage devices 936 such as a CD-ROM, DVD,memory stick, magnetic tape, magnetic disk, optical disk orsemiconductor storage device. A software program, such as a file pathmanagement program 108A and 108B (FIG. 1), can be stored on one or moreof the respective portable computer-readable tangible storage devices936, read via the respective R/W drive or interface 832 and loaded intothe respective hard drive 830.

Each set of internal components 8000 a, b also includes network adaptersor interfaces 836 such as a TCP/IP adapter cards, wireless Wi-Fiinterface cards, or 3G or 4G wireless interface cards or other wired orwireless communication links. The file path management program 108A(FIG. 1) and software program 114 (FIG. 1) in client computer 102 (FIG.1), and the file path management program 108B (FIG. 1) in network server112 (FIG. 1) can be downloaded to client computer 102 (FIG. 1) from anexternal computer via a network (for example, the Internet, a local areanetwork or other, wide area network) and respective network adapters orinterfaces 836. From the network adapters or interfaces 836, the filepath management program 108A (FIG. 1) and software program 114 (FIG. 1)in client computer 102 (FIG. 1) and the file path management program108B (FIG. 1) in network server computer 112 (FIG. 1) are loaded intothe respective hard drive 830. The network may comprise copper wires,optical fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches,gateway computers and/or edge servers.

Each of the sets of external components 9000 a, b can include a computerdisplay monitor 920, a keyboard 930, and a computer mouse 934. Externalcomponents 9000 a, b can also include touch screens, virtual keyboards,touch pads, pointing devices, and other human interface devices. Each ofthe sets of internal components 8000 a, b also includes device drivers840 to interface to computer display monitor 920, keyboard 930 andcomputer mouse 934. The device drivers 840, R/W drive or interface 832and network adapter or interface 836 comprise hardware and software(stored in storage device 830 and/or ROM 824).

It is understood in advance that although this disclosure includes adetailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachingsrecited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather,embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented inconjunction with any other type of computing environment now known orlater developed.

Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient,on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computingresources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing,memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that canbe rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort orinteraction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may includeat least five characteristics, at least three service models, and atleast four deployment models.

Characteristics are as follows:

On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provisioncomputing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, asneeded automatically without requiring human interaction with theservice's provider.

Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network andaccessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneousthin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).

Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to servemultiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physicaland virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according todemand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumergenerally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of theprovided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher levelof abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).

Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elasticallyprovisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out andrapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilitiesavailable for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can bepurchased in any quantity at any time.

Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimizeresource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level ofabstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage,processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can bemonitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both theprovider and consumer of the utilized service.

Service Models are as follows:

Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure.The applications are accessible from various client devices through athin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail).The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloudinfrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage,or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exceptionof limited user-specific application configuration settings.

Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer isto deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquiredapplications created using programming languages and tools supported bythe provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, orstorage, but has control over the deployed applications and possiblyapplication hosting environment configurations.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to theconsumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and otherfundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy andrun arbitrary software, which can include operating systems andapplications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlyingcloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage,deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networkingcomponents (e.g., host firewalls).

Deployment Models are as follows:

Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for anorganization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party andmay exist on-premises or off-premises.

Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by severalorganizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns(e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and complianceconsiderations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third partyand may exist on-premises or off-premises.

Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the generalpublic or a large industry group and is owned by an organization sellingcloud services.

Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or moreclouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities butare bound together by standardized or proprietary technology thatenables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting forload-balancing between clouds).

A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus onstatelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure comprising anetwork of interconnected nodes.

Referring now to FIG. 9, illustrative cloud computing environment 1000is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment 1000 comprises one ormore cloud computing nodes 100 with which local computing devices usedby cloud consumers, such as, for example, personal digital assistant(PDA) or cellular telephone 1000A, desktop computer 1000B, laptopcomputer 1000C, and/or automobile computer system 1000N may communicate.Nodes 100 may communicate with one another. They may be grouped (notshown) physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such asPrivate, Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove,or a combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 1000to offer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for whicha cloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a localcomputing device. It is understood that the types of computing devices1000A-N shown in FIG. 9 are intended to be illustrative only and thatcomputing nodes 100 and cloud computing environment 1000 can communicatewith any type of computerized device over any type of network and/ornetwork addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).

Referring now to FIG. 10, a set of functional abstraction layers 2000provided by cloud computing environment 1000 (FIG. 9) is shown. Itshould be understood in advance that the components, layers, andfunctions shown in FIG. 10 are intended to be illustrative only andembodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As depicted, thefollowing layers and corresponding functions are provided:

Hardware and software layer 2010 includes hardware and softwarecomponents. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes; RISC(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers; storagedevices; networks and networking components. In some embodiments,software components include network application server software.

Virtualization layer 2012 provides an abstraction layer from which thefollowing examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers;virtual storage; virtual networks, including virtual private networks;virtual applications and operating systems; and virtual clients.

In one example, management layer 2014 may provide the functionsdescribed below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic procurement ofcomputing resources and other resources that are utilized to performtasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricingprovide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloudcomputing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of theseresources. In one example, these resources may comprise applicationsoftware licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloudconsumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources.User portal provides access to the cloud computing environment forconsumers and system administrators. Service level management providescloud computing resource allocation and management such that requiredservice levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning andfulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloudcomputing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated inaccordance with an SLA. A File Path Management program may provide cloudaccessible testing environments for synchronizing file paths associatedwith computer files based on file path modifications.

Workloads layer 2016 provides examples of functionality for which thecloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads andfunctions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping andnavigation; software development and lifecycle management; virtualclassroom education delivery; data analytics processing; and transactionprocessing.

The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present inventionhave been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intendedto be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope of the describedembodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain theprinciples of the embodiments, the practical application or technicalimprovement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodimentsdisclosed herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for synchronizing file paths associatedwith computer files based on at least one file path modification, themethod comprising: detecting the at least one file path modification toa referenced file path associated with a computer file, wherein the atleast one file path modification comprises at least one of creating thecomputer file, editing the computer file, renaming the computer file,moving the computer file, and deleting the computer file; identifying atype of the at least one file path modification to the referenced filepath associated with the computer file, wherein identifying the type ofthe at least one file path modification comprises determining at leastone of whether the computer file is created, whether the computer fileis edited, whether the computer file is renamed, and whether thecomputer file is deleted; identifying at least one generated file pathbased on the identified type of the at least one file path modification;presenting a user with a dialogue box, wherein the dialogue box enablesthe user to apply or not to apply the at least one file modification andto synchronize or not to synchronize the referenced file path associatedwith the computer file to the at least one generated file pathassociated with the computer file; in response to receiving a useraction, synchronizing the referenced file path associated with thecomputer file to the at least one generated file path associated withthe computer file, wherein receiving the user action comprises receivinga selection on the dialogue box to synchronize the referenced file pathassociated with the computer file to the at least one generated filepath associated with the computer file; modifying a plurality of filepath information associated with the computer file based on thesynchronized referenced file path and the at least one generated filepath associated with the computer file; generating an association tab ona file properties window, wherein the association tab comprises aplurality of association information associated with the referenced filepath and the at least one generated file path, and wherein the pluralityof association information comprises at least one synchronized file pathbased on the at least one generated file path and a synchronizationstatus indicator; and validating and extracting the file pathinformation associated with the computer file for use by at least oneapplication.